PT - JOURNAL ARTICLE AU - Mirjam Stahl AU - Cornelia Joachim AU - Kerstin Blessing AU - Susanne Hämmerling AU - Olaf Sommerburg AU - Philipp Latzin AU - Marcus Mall TI - Multiple breath washout is feasible and detects abnormal lung function in infants and young children with cystic fibrosis in the clinical setting DP - 2013 Sep 01 TA - European Respiratory Journal PG - P2100 VI - 42 IP - Suppl 57 4099 - http://erj.ersjournals.com/content/42/Suppl_57/P2100.short 4100 - http://erj.ersjournals.com/content/42/Suppl_57/P2100.full SO - Eur Respir J2013 Sep 01; 42 AB - Background: Cystic fibrosis (CF) lung disease starts in the first months of life often before the onset of clinical symptoms. Multiple breath washout (MBW) has been shown to detect abnormal lung function in infants and young children in the laboratory setting. In this study, we determined the feasibility of MBW in 0 to 4 year old children with CF and non-CF controls in the clinical setting of a CF center without prior experience with this technique.Methods: 14 children with CF (mean age 1.3 ± 1.0 years) and 26 age-matched non-CF controls were available for investigation. MBW was performed in sedation with chloral hydrate with sulphur hexafluoride after analysis of tidal breathing. A minimum of three washouts was performed in each child and a minimum of two measurements fulfilling quality criteria was necessary for a “successful investigation”.Results: MBW was successful in 67.5 % of all children. Mean lung clearance index (LCI) was significantly higher in CF compared to non-CF controls (P=0.006). Further, the frequency of elevated LCI (z-score>1.96) was significantly increased in CF compared to controls (P=0.0003).Conclusions: We conclude that MBW is feasible and sensitive to detect abnormal lung function in infants and young children with CF in the clinical setting.Supported by the Bundesministerium für Bildung und Forschung (82DZL00401) and the Dietmar Hopp Stiftung.